


Secret-Keepers

by irlenolacroix



Series: The Smiling Twenties [6]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Prohibition Era, Best Friends, Friendship, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Trevor Garbo Has ADHD, Unfortunate Implications, and nat is suspicious of her dad, basically trevor is hyperfixating on the mob
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 07:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21334585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlenolacroix/pseuds/irlenolacroix
Summary: Nat almost laughed. “Why the hell would I tell my dad?”“I don’t know! Just thought I’d make sure.”Nat rolled her eyes, her teasing expression fading. “Like he’d even care enough to check.”***Trevor's got a new all-consuming interest and a home life he doesn't like to talk about. Nat likes to listen to him ramble about his new interest. Anything to keep her from wondering where her dad goes at night.
Relationships: Trevor Garbo & Nat Vancey
Series: The Smiling Twenties [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1500791
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24





	Secret-Keepers

“You ever think about tracking down the mob?”

“...Trevor, what the hell are you talking about?”

Trevor thunked his head down on Nat’s pillow. “You know… I mean tracking down the mob!” He waved his hands around and stared up at the ceiling. “I, y’know, I think about it sometimes.”

“What, like… for a project or something?” Nat didn’t look up from her desk, her focus still intent on the assignment in front of her. She didn’t  _ technically _ have to work on this outside of school, but… well, the research was interesting, and it gave her something to do when she was home alone. “Did Ms. Tabouli assign you something like that?”

“No, no, no, you know Ms. Tabouli isn’t that kind of teacher.” Trevor stuck his legs straight up in the air and kicked them around a bit from his position on his back. “Just as a kind of… independent curiosity thing.”

Nat finally looked up from the notes she was taking and looked over at Trevor. “Is this going to be your new… like, your new  _ thing _ , you know? Like how werewolves were your  _ thing _ for, like, two years?”

Trevor’s legs flopped back down onto Nat’s bed. “I… I think so, probably,” he said, sighing and burying his face in his scarf. “It’s just so interesting! And exciting! I want to know more, I want to scout stuff out and figure out information and maybe learn who the leaders are and—”

“That’s gonna get you  _ killed. _ ”

Trevor huffed. “At least it’ll be a good way to go.”

“Shh.” There was a long silence in the room before Nat sighed, put her pen down on her desk, and came to sit on her bed next to Trevor. “Okay. What’s your plan?”

Trevor sat upright so quickly that he nearly became dizzy. “You mean it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I mean it. I like hearing about the stuff you like, you’re my best friend.” Nat offered a little smile. “Even if I do make fun of you sometimes.”

Trevor playfully shoved Nat’s shoulder, and she shoved him back, getting a laugh out of him. “I don’t have much yet! No real theories or leads… But I’m going to do some inspection soon. Some sneaking around! And research.”

“What kind of research?”

“Newspapers and stuff.” Trevor lay back down, playing with the end of his scarf. “I steal Dad’s old newspapers before he can put them in the fireplace. I take the pages I want and then put the rest back. I’ve got a whole treasure trove of information under my bed! Shoot-outs, fake-outs, all that and more…” His voice was steadily speeding up, the spaces between words getting smaller and smaller. “It’s all so exciting! I…” He paused, slowing down and laying still again.

Nat leaned over so she could see his face. “You… what?”

Trevor sighed. “I was gonna ask if you could maybe keep all the papers and stuff I collect here.” He wrung his hands, then started playing with his scarf again. “I mean… I could just fold them up really small and put them in that box with the other stuff I’m hiding and bring it all here, it wouldn’t take up much space, I just--”

“Trevor.”

Trevor looked up. Nat was looking at him with raised eyebrows and an expression that might have been described as soft if it were anybody except for the two of them sharing it. “Yeah?”

Nat reached out to lightly pat his knee. “I’ll hide it for you. I know how it is.”

Trevor relaxed, then immediately tensed up with excitement and bolted upright to hug Nat close. “You’re the best, you’re the best, you’re the best…”

“Hey!” Nat struggled in her friend’s grasp, but not hard enough to throw him off. “You’re crushing me!”

“What, don’t vampires have super strength?” Trevor teased. He let go of Nat, though, still beaming and reaching to tug at his scarf. “Don’t tell your dad, okay? This is our thing.”

Nat almost laughed. “Why the hell would I tell my dad?”

“I don’t know! Just thought I’d make sure.”

Nat rolled her eyes, her teasing expression fading. “Like he’d even care enough to check.”

Trevor looked up at Nat, dropping his scarf and instead opting to fidget with the sleeve of his shirt. “...You wanna, uh…” He paused, looking away from Nat and clearing his throat. “You wanna talk about it…?”

Nat was silent for a moment, then shook her head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“It’s okay if you wanna talk about it, I mean--”

“No.”

Trevor seemed unconvinced, but sighed and went back to playing with his scarf. “Fine.”

For a long time neither of them spoke. Eventually, though, Nat broke the silence. “...It’s not like I hate him. He’s got this new job and it means he’s out of the house a lot, and he’s got this new… friend who he’s seeing a lot, and…” She shut herself up, deciding she wouldn’t get into the fact that he was hardly ever home at night, not until at least three in the morning. “Can we talk about something else?”

Trevor was still picking at the yarn in his scarf. “...At least he calls you by your name.”

Nat’s face fell a little. “Trevor.”

“Sorry.” 

The apology came too quickly and urgently for Nat to be unbothered by it, but Trevor wasn’t looking at her any more. She blew out a short breath through her nose and moved so she was laying beside him, her right arm pressed against her wall. “Tell me more about the mob.”

“You don’t even like hearing about it.”

“Yes, I do, dummy. Of course I like hearing about it. I just told you.” She’d listen to him talk for hours about anything if it meant distracting her wandering mind from question after question about her father’s nightly whereabouts. Plus… well, she really did like to listen. “You said you don’t have any real theories yet, but… what do you have so far?”

Trevor hesitated, looking as if he might shut the conversation down again, but the moment passed and soon he was speaking rapidly, as if his mouth had a mind of its own. “Well… I’ve got some ideas, if they run it here anything like they do in Chicago…”

The evening went on like that. One hour passed, then two, then three. Midnight came and went. Eventually both Nat and Trevor were fast asleep, Nat in her bed, Trevor curled on the floor atop a smorgasbord of pillows and blankets that he’d referred to as his “werewolf nest”, despite Nat’s best efforts to get him to sleep on the couch. It wasn’t until about four o’clock that morning that Nat’s awareness came back somewhat, picking up the sound of a key in the front door. She forced herself to block it out, turning over so she faced the wall. The door to her room creaked open, remained so for a few seconds, and then closed once more.

If it weren’t so late, and if Trevor weren’t over… Perhaps Nat would have gone on another of her midnight wanderings. But her father was already home, and therefore the purpose was defeated.

She closed her eyes, and it was only by listening to Trevor’s even breaths that she was eventually able to sleep once more.

**Author's Note:**

> part 7 of the smiling 20s is HERE!!! this one isn't my best work in any capacity, but i love these two kiddos so much and i really tried to do right by them. they're gonna have a bigger role in the story moving forward and i'm so excited to officially introduce them to this au!!!
> 
> if you all wanna keep up with all the latest smiling 20s au news, we've got a tumblr sideblog just for this au!!! follow @thesmiling20s !!!
> 
> comments and kudos are super appreciated, thank you all so much for reading!!!


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